The best players at the Seattle Seahawks’ 2015 draft slots

With the 2015 NFL draft a little more than a month away, the Seattle Seahawks know where they’ll be picking after compensatory selections were announced on Monday.

The Hawks received the maximum four compensatory picks after the losses of Golden Tate, Brandon Browner, Breno Giacomini and Clinton McDonald via free agency last season, and that gives GM John Schneider 11 picks to work with in the 2015 draft. That ties Seattle’s 2013 draft for the most selections in the Schneider/Pete Carroll era.

We went through each of Seattle’s scheduled slots — which, if history is any indication, are likely to be shopped by Schneider during the draft — to find the best players selected at those spots since the NFL merger in 1970. Some of the slots have produced a handful of standout players throughout the years, while others … well, let’s just say a punter makes an appearance.

<p><b><big>Pick No. 63 (second round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1991: Mo Lewis | Linebacker | Georgia</b></li></ul></p>
<p>The Jets didn’t get a superstar when they took the former Bulldogs standout in what was then the third-round of the ’91 draft. But they did get a three-time Pro Bowler and 1998 first-team All-Pro who started 199 games for New York over 13 seasons, racking up 1,227 tackles and 52.5 sacks. That’s about all you can ask.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 63 (second round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1991: Mo Lewis | Linebacker | Georgia</b></li></ul></p>
<p>The Jets didn’t get a superstar when they took the former Bulldogs standout in what was ... more

Photo: George Gojkovich / Getty Images

Image 2 of 20

<p><b><big>Pick No. 63 (second round)</big><br>
<ul><li>2006: Darryl Tapp | Defensive end | Virginia Tech</b></p></li></ul
<p>The Seahawks have some history with pick No. 63, which is where they selected Tapp in 2006. Tapp played four seasons in Seattle, starting 32 games and racking up 18 sacks before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for defensive end Chris Clemons in 2010. He played three seasons in Philly before stops in Washington and Detroit in 2013 and 2014, respectively.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 63 (second round)</big><br>
<ul><li>2006: Darryl Tapp | Defensive end | Virginia Tech</b></p></li></ul
<p>The Seahawks have some history with pick No. 63, which is where they selected ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

Image 3 of 20

<p><b><big>Pick No. 63 (second round)</big><br>
<ul><li>2014: Jarvis Landry | Wide receiver | LSU</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Landry went to Miami last year in the No. 63 slot, and though he didn’t make the eye-popping highlights college teammate Odell Beckham did with the New York Giants, he had a nice season in his own right, catching 84 balls for 758 yards and five touchdowns. With Mike Wallace shipped out of town, Landry should play an even bigger role for the Phins in 2015.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 63 (second round)</big><br>
<ul><li>2014: Jarvis Landry | Wide receiver | LSU</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Landry went to Miami last year in the No. 63 slot, and though he didn’t make the ... more

Photo: Don Juan Moore / Getty Images

Image 4 of 20

<p><b><big>Pick No. 95 (third round)</big><br>
<ul><li>2010: Jimmy Graham | Tight end | Miami</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Seattle’s newly acquired offensive weapon was New Orleans’ third-round pick out of Miami, where he starred on the basketball court for the Hurricanes and on the gridiron for his lone season of college football in 2009. He blossomed into a star with the Saints, averaging 89 receptions for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns over the last four seasons, earning All-Pro honors in 2013.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 95 (third round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1975: Rick Upchurch | Wide receiver | Minnesota</li>
<li>1998: Michael Pittman | Running back | Fresno State</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Upchurch never had more than 64 receptions in a season, but was one of the most feared return men in the game. The three-time All-Pro totaled eight punt-return touchdowns during his nine-year career. Pittman never had a 1,000-yard rushing year, but ended his career with 5,627 rushing yards, 3,512 receiving yards and 33 combined touchdowns in 11 seasons.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 130 (fourth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1990: Brian Mitchell | Running back | Louisiana-Lafayette</li>
<li>2005: Darren Sproles | Running back | Kansas State</b></li></ul></p>
<p>If you’re looking for a running back who can also help in the return game, 130 is your slot. Mitchell was an All-Pro in 1995 after leading the NFL with 2,477 all-purpose yards in Washington and had 13 return touchdowns over his career. Sproles has seven career return touchdowns of his own to go along with 44 combined rushing and receiving scores for the Chargers, Saints and Eagles.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 130 (fourth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>2010: O’Brien Schofield | Linebacker/defensive end | Wisconsin</b></li></ul></p>
<p>After three seasons playing primarily special teams in Arizona, the former Badger came to Seattle in 2013. He became a regular in the pass-rush rotation and special teams units -- a key reserve for a Hawks defense that made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. This offseason, he followed former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Atlanta, where he’ll have a chance to compete for a starting job.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 134 (fourth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1997: Jeff Mitchell | Center | Florida</li>
<li>2006: Kyle Williams | Defensive tackle | LSU</b></li></ul></p>
<p>The Hawks’ first compensatory pick, which they received for the loss of wide receiver Golden Tate last offseason, is where these two trench-warriors were selected. Mitchell started 118 of the 119 games he played in over eight seasons with the Ravens and Panthers. Williams has developed into one of the most productive and disruptive interior linemen in the league in Buffalo, making four Pro Bowl appearances over the last five seasons.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 167 (fifth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1983: Reggie Roby | Punter | Iowa</b></li></ul></p>
<p>It’s never a good sign when a punter is far and away the best player drafted in a particular slot, but if you’re going to go with a punter you could do worse than Roby. The former Hawkeye was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro during his 16-year career, a decade of which he spent in Miami.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 167 (fifth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1983: Reggie Roby | Punter | Iowa</b></li></ul></p>
<p>It’s never a good sign when a punter is far and away the best player drafted in a particular ... more

Photo: George Gojkovich / Getty Images

Image 13 of 20

<p><b><big>Pick No. 170 (fifth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1993: Michael McCrary | Defensive end | Wake Forest</b></li></ul></p>
<p>The Seahawks’ second compensatory 2015 pick, this one for the loss of cornerback Brandon Browner, comes at a slot they used three times before. The only time it panned out for Seattle was when they chose McCrary, who didn’t start until his fourth NFL season, when he totaled 13.5 sacks. He signed with Baltimore as an unrestricted free agent the following season and started for six years, twice making the Pro Bowl and picking up 51.0 sacks.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 180 (sixth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1990: Dave Szott | Guard | Penn State</li>
<li>1992: Corey Widmer | Linebacker | Montana State</b></li></ul></p>
<p>The Seahawks traded their sixth-round pick to Indianapolis for cornerback Marcus Burley last August, but they received one from the Jets when they shipped off wide receiver Percy Harvin in October. Szott started for nine seasons in Kansas City during a 14-year career, earning All-Pro honors in 1997. Widmer was a special-teams ace and four-year starter for the Giants.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 209 (sixth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1995: Chad Cota | Safety | Oregon</li>
<li>2008: Matt Flynn | Quarterback | LSU</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Seattle’s third compensatory selection comes courtesy of tackle Breno Giacomini signing with the Jets last year. Cota started 82 games over a solid eight-year career, totaling 539 tackles and 15 interceptions. Flynn was, of course, the would-be starter for the Seahawks in 2012 after they signed him to a three-year, $20.5 million deal. But the selection of some kid named Russell Wilson changed that plan.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 214 (sixth round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1983: Ronnie Lippett | Cornerback | Miami</li>
<li>1993: Blaine Bishop | safety | LSU</b></li></ul></p>
<p>The Hawks’ final compensatory pick, which they received for the loss of defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, comes at a slot that boasts a couple of stellar defensive backs. Lippett was a longtime starter in New England, picking up 24 career interceptions in nine seasons, two of which he returned for touchdowns in 1987. Bishop was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Oilers and Titans, regarded as one of the biggest hitters in the league throughout his career.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 248 (seventh round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1972: John Bunting | Linebacker | North Carolina</li>
<li>2002: Kyle Kosier | Guard | Arizona State</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Seattle’s last pick comes eight spots before “Mr. Irrelevant” lands with the Cardinals in the final selection of the 2015 draft. Bunting had an 11-year career with the Eagles before moving on to coaching. He took over at his alma mater in 2001 before he was fired in 2006. Kosier started 120 games for the Cowboys, 49ers and Lions in a 10-year career.</p> less

<p><b><big>Pick No. 248 (seventh round)</big><br>
<ul><li>1999: Bryce Fisher | Defensive end | Air Force</li>
<li>2009: Cameron Morrah | Tight end | California</b></li></ul></p>
<p>Two players with recent Seahawks connections were taken at 248. Fisher spent one season with Buffalo before moving on to St. Louis and Seattle, where he had 13.0 sacks in 2005 and 2006. Morrah joined Cal teammates Brandon Mebane, Justin Forsett and Mike Gibson in Seattle before being waived in 2012.</p> less